Beyond the Canvas: Jai Bishop Discussion Guide

Explore key questions from Jai Bishop’s Beyond the Canvas episode with our discussion guide, designed to inspire reflection and conversation around student motivation, game-based learning, and creating purposeful, inquiry-driven experiences in online and blended environments.

Jai talks about ‘designing for magic’ in education—those moments of genuine curiosity, insight, and joy. What would it look like to design for magic in your own context? What gets in the way?
Game-based learning isn’t just about play. It can build agency, community and connection. Where have you seen learning experiences structured like games or quests, and what impact did that have on engagement or outcomes?
How do you currently account for student motivation in course or system design? Have you used models like the hexad player types to understand different learner behaviours, and should this be a bigger part of your pedagogical approach?
Inquiry isn’t just a strategy. It’s a mindset. How is your school or institution cultivating curiosity, critical thinking and self-direction across subjects and year levels?
In a digital learning environment, how do you balance autonomy with scaffolding? What role should an LMS play in supporting personalised, inquiry-rich learning at scale?
Jai teaches in a fully online International Baccalaureate setting where safe failure and experimentation are intentionally designed. How can we create space for low-stakes risk-taking in high-stakes environments, for both students and teachers?